Kelis Says Pop Artists Are Not The Best Artists, Talks Believers

Kelis has always been the kind of artist who speaks her mind and in the latest issue of Dazed & Confused, this is definitely evident. In the December installment for the magazine’s 20th anniversary celebration, Kelis gave her feeling on who the best artists are, insisting it’s “Not the pop stars.”

“To me the best artists are the people we believe, and so I think those are not the pop stars,” Kelis told the mag. “Those are usually the ones that, you know, are not always perfect. That’s the difference between being a pop star and being an artist.”

Kelis goes on to describe her meaning of the word “artist,” saying it’s got to be about “believing.”

“I think the word artist – I say this all the time – gets thrown around so lightly,” she adds. “It’s like the word love. You can’t put the two [together], they’re not the same. I think neither one is right or wrong, but I want to be in a group of believers. I want people to believe me because that’s what art’s about. It’s about someone finding a connection in who you are. Seeing [themselves] in it. Or wanting to see [themselves] in it.”